Written by Associated Press’s Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington (AP) Two Malaysian inmates at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military prison have been sent back to their homeland after entering guilty pleas to charges connected to the 2002 Bali bombings and agreeing to testify against the alleged mastermind of that and other attacks, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
The Indonesian commander of al-Qaidaaffiliate Jemaah Islamiya, Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali, was the collaborator of Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep for years, according to the prosecution. According to U.S. officials, this includes assisting Nurjaman in evading capture following the bombings on October 12, 2002, which claimed 202 lives at two nightclubs in Bali.
In January, the two men pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other crimes. According to a Pentagon statement, their transfer follows their evidence, which prosecutors intend to utilize against the alleged mastermind, Nurjaman, in the future.
As pre-trial proceedings pertaining to the Bali bombings and other attacks resume in January, Nurjaman remains detained in Guantanamo.
At the U.S. naval facility in Guantanamo Bay, 27 prisoners remain in detention following the transfers of the two Malaysian males.Following the al-Qaida attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush established a military court and prison.
In the U.S. military’s war on terror following the Sept. 11 attacks, Guantanamo held hundreds of prisoners, the majority of whom were Muslims, at its height.
Only two of the Guantanamo men are now serving their sentences. Legal challenges, such as those posed by the torture of the men during their initial years in CIA custody and logistical challenges, have hampered the U.S. prosecution of seven other individuals who are currently facing accusations.
After spending 17 years at Guantanamo without being charged, U.S. authorities repatriated Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, a Kenyan, on Tuesday.
Fifteen additional men who have never been charged are still awaiting freedom after his release. The United States is looking for stable, appropriate nations that are open to accepting them. Many are from Yemen, a war-torn nation controlled by a militant organization with ties to Iran.
Before he leaves office, President Joe Bidento should stop holding those men who were never charged, according to Amnesty International. If not, the rights group said in a statement, he will remain accountable for the U.S. government’s reprehensible practice of indefinite detention without charge or trial.
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